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Come on church, it is time to rise up and take back the 2 million and many millions more who are in need of a savior. The church has been embroiled so long (too long) in battles that if we would keep God the main thing we wouldn’t be losing all these people. God chooses to use me and you in the matter of winning people to Jesus Christ. Lets stand up!
Ronnie
REFLECTIONS: Reducing number of bishops doesn’t fix membership loss
Bishop Woodie W. White, Mar 10, 2010
 Bishop Woodie White |
By Bishop Woodie W. White
UMR Columnist
I guess numbers matter after all!
For some 25 years, as the United Methodist Church has experienced a steady membership decline, there has been something of a debate on church growth. Some church leaders have constantly touted the view that numbers don’t really matter; that there are other factors that are more important.
One of my most glaring failures as a bishop was my inability to lead any of the four annual conferences I supervised to report a membership gain in any year. There is no more important responsibility of the church than to win new disciples of Jesus Christ.
I recall one colleague bishop who was passionate about the need to reverse our membership decline and win new disciples. Sadly, he was often both ridiculed and ignored. Again, it was heard in so many words that numbers don’t matter.
Then it was said that it was important to count other aspects of ministry as more important than increased membership. There never seemed to be any question to me that there are other important facets of ministry besides membership growth. Yet I never understood why these two seemed to be played off each other, like the old argument of social action or evangelism.
Membership represents people. People represent presence, support, involvement and the actual work of the church.
As new members are added to the community, so does the potential for new leadership, support, vitality, involvement and witness. As membership diminishes, so does the church’s ability to be engaged in ministry in the community and worldwide.
Well, it now appears that 40 years of membership decline resulting in the loss of some two million members obviously does matter after all.
The church, through the action of the General Conference on recommendation of the General Council on Finance and Administration, mandated that we eliminate one bishop in four of the five jurisdictions in the United States. Membership loss, coupled with new financial realities, has required an assessment of our financial viability.
Unfortunately, the review did not include a more comprehensive approach and merely focused narrowly on the episcopal areas as the place to make some radical financial decisions. A 40-year denominational structure that was established during a time when we had two million more members does indeed require review and evaluation.
At least two of the jurisdictions affected by the General Conference action have already announced their new episcopal area reconfiguration, resulting in one fewer bishop in each jurisdiction. In each, the result is the same; a single bishop will now have the episcopal oversight of multiple states.
In the North Central Jurisdiction, the new episcopal area will be comprised of three states, and in the South Central Jurisdiction, the new area will consist of two states.
A single episcopal leader for more than one state is not new to Methodism. However, this seems to come at a time when pastors and congregations are calling for more episcopal oversight, not less.
And the basic question remains: how shall we halt the membership decline of United Methodism in the United States? That is not answered by eliminating four bishops.
Church leaders now grappling with this question now realize, I assume, that among other factors, numbers actually matter. If proposals, recommendations and strategies are not directly focused on membership growth and congregational vitality, then it is apparent that in another four or eight years, even more drastic measures will be needed to shrink the denominational structure to match its shrinking membership.
I guess numbers do matter after all!
Retired Bishop White is the denomination’s Endorsing Agent for Chaplain Ministries and bishop-in-residence at Candler School of Theology.